How the calculator works
Three inputs drive everything: the distance between the current and the target CEFR level, the language, and the format. The hours come from the Cambridge English table of guided learning hours, which gives cumulative totals from beginner: 90 to 100 hours to reach A1, 180 to 200 for A2, 350 to 400 for B1, 500 to 600 for B2, 700 to 800 for C1 and 1,000 to 1,200 for C2. The calculator subtracts the current level's band from the target's. Arabic is multiplied by three, the ratio the US Foreign Service Institute reports between Arabic and Spanish or French for English speakers.
Weeks follow from your schedule: live hours divided by sessions per week times session length. Months use 4.33 weeks. In a blended program, 60 percent of the guided hours are live and the remainder is self-study, an assumption you can see on the result card.
The budget uses the market ranges from our guide to corporate language training cost: $50 to $120 per hour for one-on-one instruction and $15 to $35 per learner per session for small groups. It is a planning range for any vendor, not an Edlingo quote.
How to read the result
Use the low end of the hours band for motivated learners with a related first language and daily exposure, and the high end for a team that starts from zero and practices only in class. If the weeks figure does not fit your deadline, change the schedule before you change the target: three 60-minute sessions a week move a cohort faster than one 90-minute session, at the same hourly cost.
The per-learner budget is the number to compare with the business case you present to finance. Most sponsors land between $800 and $2,500 per employee per year, which is also the range our cost guide documents.
What the calculator leaves out
- Placement testing and reporting, which some providers include and others bill separately.
- Instructor travel for on-site sessions outside major metros.
- Volume discounts for several cohorts under one contract.
- The time employees spend in class, which is a real cost that finance may want to see; our guide on how to measure language training ROI shows how to count it.
To design the program behind the numbers, start with the complete corporate language training guide, or go straight to corporate language training for US companies to see the formats Edlingo delivers.
Frequently asked questions
Because the source data is a range. Cambridge English publishes guided learning hours per CEFR level as a band (for example 350 to 400 cumulative hours to reach B1), and the hourly and per-session rates in our cost guide are market ranges, not one price. A single number would be false precision.
The hour bands come from English language learning research and we apply them as published to Spanish and French, which the US Foreign Service Institute places in the same difficulty category for an English speaker. Arabic is multiplied by three, following the same FSI data. A Spanish speaker learning English, or any other pairing, may land anywhere in the band.
No. The budget line uses the market ranges from our cost guide so that you can compare any vendor. Edlingo publishes its own starting prices: private lessons from $55 per hour, group programs from $1,500 per month per cohort and executive coaching from $250 per session. A quote for your team takes one call.